Sarahbeth Gareis

OGL 321 Fall B

Module 2: Paper

10/24/2021
 For many people in business project management has changed over the years, but it is

more popular than ever today. Whether it is studying for the Project Manager Professional

(PMP) certification, gaining experience-based learning to become a project manager, or

university project management courses, project management has opened the door to millions in

the business world to become even better leaders. Project management positions range anywhere

from technology, construction to finance and can encompass teams of every size and area world-

wide. Topics such as the project management life cycle have given professionals a clear outline

of what managing a project looks like and with this over-arching consistency from such

certifications people can all assumably have the same understanding of how a project runs from

start to finish. The project management life cycle has five phases and within these phases are

smaller deliverables or goals – Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing each

play large roles in the success of a project. Following such guidelines assists project managers in

making key decisions, understanding the goal(s) at hand, and what their approach will be.

Approaching a project of any size in smaller increments assists in a higher success rate if there is

a clear strategy for the project. To be successful in project management it is important to have

supportive resources and a team that supports the goal also.

Reading through this module there were many resources which assisted in my

understanding of project management and how the breakdown of life cycles can help me

succeed. Also, reading through the blogs there were two that particularly stood out to me. One

discussed how poor decision making can fail a project and how not planning requirements

correctly can fail a project as well. Aaron Smith on “Beware Reverse Delegation” discussed how

even though there may be many people responsible for the success of a project, it may not

always be appropriate for some key contacts to be making decisions. Team members need to
understand stakeholder values and project priorities (Smith, 2021). Without accurate

understanding and communication, projects can begin to fail when poor decisions have been

made. Secondly, without proper planning projects can undoubtedly fail. Mike Frenette discussed

in “Planning. Linking to Strategy. Delivering” that “not having a plan will always be a disaster”

and I feel this is true even for everyday life. As humans we need to understand purpose and what

the plan is. Without agreement on a plan a team cannot succeed and therefore cause unnecessary

hardships or risks in a project. Being as transparent and clear from the beginning is very

beneficial.

Going through module two I agreed with the assertions stated in the blogs and reading.

Personally, project management is so in depth, detailed, and requires people willing to put forth

all they must succeed. I believe that poor decisions on any account can fail a project and if there

is no plan to strategize as a team or a project plan the project essentially will fail in time. One of

the most important dynamics of a project is to have a project goal. It is also very important to

have someone leading the project who understands stakeholder expectations and values, because

when key decisions are made a PM must have their understanding in mind. Projects are a team-

oriented process many times and each person’s responsibilities hold great value into the project

success. So, understanding who the key decision makers are and where their mindset stands on

the project will assist in proper decisions being made throughout the project life. I work to relate

project management to everyday decisions. Just as a poor decision I make today affects my

tomorrow, so does the same in project management.

In Simulation A it was clear how one decision could affect the team and project overall.

One example from my experience this week was when I decided to add team members with less

experience, due to cost, but then my core team became bored or less productive. My thoughts
were that if I hired less expensive resources, I could assign each their own responsibilities. But

after further consideration I felt that less staff, but more skilled was more promising even if it

may put me close to budget. There is a fine line between a team being too busy and stressed or

unproductive and bored. Also, each decision affects project budget, therefore causing more

concern on each decision made. Some of the connections I made from the simulation to the

readings were how not having clear deliverables can cause confusion or lack of productivity. A

team needs a clear portrayal of project goals to complete them accurately. Another connection

when regarding budget, it was difficult to stay on budget both in the simulation and in my

professional experience. Many times, more resources are needed due to the project size and

requirements, but more resources can put a project over budget when that money is already

allocated for future milestones, so it can be tricky to keep everything on track. All in all, I

believe that prioritizing need can help, whether its resources or project tasks.

Reading Chapter one of “Good Decision-Making: The Key to Project Success” by Dennis

Buede and Robert Powell truly gave great insight into how project management works and how

each decision plays a role. I found it difficult to think of large projects which have failed over

time, but I liked the example of the Minneapolis I-35 bridge collapse. I currently work in finance

and audit on an internal strategic initiatives team and our main focus of large projects is creating

successful day to day process to prevent money loss or create new technology, so when I look at

a very large project such as a bridge used regularly by a population, I cannot imagine the

decisions which caused such a project to fail. But, having a planned process for decision-making

can make all the difference and “objectives provide the logical basis for decisions that occur in

managing a project” (Powell, 2002). At a high level I believe that in order for a project and
project team to be successful a project manager must follow the key steps in project management

and understand how their decisions impact the project itself.

References

Frenette, M. (2021, June 27). Planning. Linking to Strategy. Delivering. [web log]. Retrieved

October 22, 2021.

Powell, R. A., & Buede, D. M. (2015). The Project Manager's Guide to making successful

decisions. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated.

Smith, A. (2021, August 10). Beware Reverse Delegation [web log]. Retrieved October 22,

2021, from https://www.projectmanagement.com/blog-post/69936/beware-reverse-

delegation.